“`Each year, there is plenty of discussion over Academy Awards snubs and surprises. In the history of this prestigious event, there are easy discussions about how Alfred Hitchcock, Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell (for Mourning Becomes Electra), and Claude Rains (for Notorious) famously lost. My Top-5 should be obvious. Let me explain.

~ Edward G. Robinson – Double Indemnity. A strong supporting role that may have been the best in the 1940s. He was an assured conscience (and brilliant claims adjuster), Barton Keyes; a confidante and sincere pal for Fred MacMurray. Particularly galling is that in Robinson’s entire career, he never received an Oscar nomination. What a shame!

The sappy winner: Barry Fitzgerald / Going My Way

~ Myrna Loy – The Best Years of Our Lives. It’s easy to select Loy’s performance in The Thin Man. However, her nuanced role in this drama not only matched the work of Fredric March, Myrna was more subtle and human; and infinitely more believable. Dana Andrews was also snubbed. Again, Loy was ignored in the totality of her career.

The forgettable winner: Olivia de Havilland / To Each His Own

~ Judy Garland – A Star is Born. Garland’s hot performance in The Man That Got Away scene should have been enough to take home a statuette. But, this particular loss lays at the feet of the motion picture’s producer and editor that cut this work to shreds. This loss added salt in the career wound of Garland’s relationship with movie studios. Today, portions of the film are lost to nitrate. The irony is not ambiguous.

The regal winner: Grace Kelly / The Country Girl

~ Deborah Kerr – The King and I. Kerr, like Thelma Ritter, was nominated six times for an Oscar over a dozen-year period. No statuette for either. TheKing and Irole was Kerr’s best chance. Yul Brynner won. Kerr lost. Like the others, a career achievement accolade was in her future.

The redemptive winner: Ingrid Bergman / Anastasia

~ Peter O’Toole – The Lion in Winter. His best, if not his most satisfying role. He received more attention for Lawrence of Arabia; more flamboyant in My Favorite Year. As a child, I rooted for Cliff Robertson, knowing Peter would end up with a box-full of great performances. A competitive Oscar on his mantle was not to be, in the final analysis.